Ruse

by Cindy Pon

  “She’s Jin’s daughter.” Iris’s tone was resolute. “You seem to have forgotten that.”

  “They haven’t been in contact since he fled to China,” I said.

  “She told you that?” Iris asked. “And you believed her? I mean, look at you.”

  I felt the blood rush to my face. “What does that mean?”

  She jerked her chin up, and a strand of her platinum hair glinted in the dim light, more silver than blond since I last saw her. “Dressed up like some fancy pirate, enjoying your you girlfriend and luxe apartment in the 101.” Her features were shadowed, but I didn’t need to see Iris’s face to hear the disdain in her voice. “Have you forgotten who you are? Where you come from?”

  “None of us had any trouble spending the money I took from Jin—”

  “Happily,” Iris interjected. “I’d steal from that asshole all day long. But I’m not the one shacking up with his daughter.”

  I shook my head. “She’s not like him.”

  “She’s the heir to Jin Corp—”

  “No way,” I said. “Not anymore.”

  “Did she tell you that, too?” Iris took a few steps toward me, and I could see her dark brows lift in question.

  “Not in so many words.” I didn’t have to ask. I knew how she felt about her father and his unscrupulous ways—always putting profit above all else. She had never wanted to be the heir to Jin Corp, and she certainly would have refused it now, after everything that’s happened. “But—”

  Iris snorted. “Don’t be a fool, Zhou. You’re drunk on love and money.”

  Infuriated, I turned on my heel and said over my shoulder, “Just message me the flight info.” I retreated down the dank alleyway with brisk steps, clenching and unclenching my hands.

  This wasn’t the way I’d expected to start the evening.

  By the time I arrived at the Shangri-La Hotel, where Daiyu was hosting her gala, I felt more like a half-drowned highwayman than a dashing musketeer. I headed straight to the bathroom lounge, passing many yous who were obviously there to attend the fund-raiser. One woman was dressed as a swan princess, her dress strategically layered with white feathers gleaming under the chandelier light, exposing glimpses of supple flesh dusted with glitter. A group of men dressed like wealthy warlords from Romance of the Three Kingdoms in brocaded robes with curved sabers strapped at their waists followed close behind. The grand marbled lobby vibrated with a low hum of excitement as the beautiful gala guests glided toward the elevators that would whisk them to the ballroom above.

  The men’s bathroom lounge was, incredibly, empty. I went to the sink and removed my black mask. It had left faint imprints across my brow and cheekbones, and I placed it carefully on the ivory sink before washing my hands and face, trying to scrub the city’s grime and my own sweat off. My mind kept returning to the fear I heard in Iris’s voice when she spoke of Lingyi. Lingyi couldn’t beat the crap out of you like Iris could, but she certainly could outsmart anyone. Still, something was very off about the whole situation—dangerous—and I felt a foreboding I couldn’t shake. I chose not to dwell on everything else she had brought up about not trusting Daiyu or calling out my life as a you. Hadn’t we done enough by destroying Jin Corp’s headquarters? Suffered enough? I’d never fathomed we would lose Victor in the process. It had always been mission first—we agreed. But what would I choose now if I could go back in time?

  I stared at my own reflection, my face damp from the water I had splashed on it; my dark eyes appeared haunted.

  I blinked.

  It should have been me.

  Drying off with a plush monogrammed towel folded into a woven basket for guests, I then ran a hand through my hair, cut short except for the front. I had styled it as best I could with product that Vic had recommended, but the hour walk in Taipei’s summer heat had proven to be too much, and it flopped into my eyes now. Giving up, I put my mask back on.

  Disheveled rogue it is.

  A gold “magical” coin given to every attendee granted me access to the private elevator. I rode the high-speed elevator with a couple dressed like a dragon and a phoenix. The man’s dragon mask looked heavy, etched with blue and green scales, with deep green jade horns jutting from his brow. The woman was attired in vermilion with a phoenix mask to match her partner’s. I politely ignored the way she giggled and swayed, crashing into her date. He wasn’t any steadier on his feet. Already drunk or high, they were making the most out of this gala. I was the first to step out of the elevator when it dinged a short time later.

  The doors opened into another world. I knew the theme had been fairy wonderland, and Daiyu had discussed her plans with me extensively, asking for suggestions when she needed help or wanted to brainstorm, but it was incredible to see the results of her hard work. Flowers and ivy erupted from the ballroom’s ceiling in colorful bursts, and a golden banyan tree dominated its center, growing, it seemed, upside down from above. Vibrantly colored silk butterflies and birds fluttered between the blooms. The floor, in turn, was lit with swirling constellations, so it appeared that the guests danced in the center of the galaxy, among the stars.

  I scanned the room for security, always present when rich yous were gathered to party, quickly noting the dozen or so people dressed in dark suits. Then I searched for anyone who might be part of Jin’s team—they usually looked meaner, more keen on killing than protecting. No one caught my eye, and I edged along the wall, making my way deeper into the magnificent ballroom.

  The costumed guests only added to the otherworldly feeling of it all. Silver and golden light accentuated bejeweled throats, glowing horns, and glittering wings. One woman dressed like an ice queen clasped a staff that emitted a bright silver flame at its top. The hotel’s servers were all dressed as huli jing—it was easy to spot their pointed fox ears as they circled among the guests bearing trays of bite-size food and flutes filled with sparkling champagne.

  I craned my neck, searching for Daiyu in the expansive ballroom. There were probably three hundred people in attendance, and it took me some time to find her. She was standing by the raised dais near the front, speaking with a small circle of men and women, rich donors, no doubt. She looked stunning in the purple qipao embroidered with silver chrysanthemums, her long hair swept up in a loose twist. She had threaded flowers through her hair, her nod to the evening’s theme. Daiyu looked like a mortal queen being paid tribute to by a throng of fantastical creatures. The glimpse of her in the crowd still did this thing to me—like seeing an unexpected surprise—delight and tension all at once.

  I didn’t like the idea of lying to her about the Shanghai trip. Our relationship had had its basis in deceit, and I had tried my best to change that, to be forthright and honest with Daiyu now that we were officially together. And I knew she did the same for me. We trusted each other, and what Iris was asking would undermine that trust. Remembering the contempt in Iris’s voice made me bristle again. Who was she to judge me?

  Although she isn’t wrong, Zhou. The thought emerged like the proverbial demon sitting on my shoulder. What have you been doing with yourself? Other than being complacent and comfortable?

  I would have stabbed that demon with a knife if I could.

  Keeping my distance, I lingered at the edge of the ballroom, watching the yous from behind my feathered mask. I ate a few appetizers and drank one flute of champagne, the drink fizzing through my nose, but in the end, my favorite foods were still home-style or street food. Not bite-size morsels. About an hour in, a tall women slinked toward me. There was no other way to describe it. She wore a skintight dress with a train that trailed behind her like a long tail. It wasn’t until she was closer that I saw the dress was decorated with gold and emerald scales, mimicking a snake. She glided in front of me. Her eyes were emerald too, with dark vertical slits as pupils.

  “Hello,” she said in a low, husky voice. “What’s a handsome young man like you doing lurking in the shadows?”

  I raised an eyebrow. “I have a
mask on. You can’t see my face.”

  She lifted her glowing champagne glass and took a long sip, before saying, “I can see your mouth and that jawline.” Her crimson lips curved into a smile, and the tips of her long fangs flashed briefly. “It is enough.”

  I laughed. It was short and humorless. “This isn’t my scene.”

  “Let’s get out of here.” She dragged a sharp nail down my sleeve. “I have the penthouse to myself.”

  I pushed away from the wall. “I have a room in the hotel tonight too, with my girlfriend.”

  She threw her head back and laughed. “Your girlfriend? How quaint. Are you playing at monogamy? You must be even younger than I thought.”

  I didn’t respond, and she took another long swallow from her glass before letting out a long sigh. Then she sashayed away without another word, serpentine eyes set on someone else more willing to play her game. There must be something about covered faces that made people lose their inhibitions. But then, yous considered anything good sport, including sexual escapades.

  Right before eleven p.m., the orchestra stopped playing, and Daiyu took to the large dais at the front. Her image was projected on four wall screens across the massive ballroom. “I wanted to thank everyone for attending the gala tonight and donating so generously to the fund-raiser,” she said. “Your money will help raise awareness of the importance of introducing and pushing through environmental laws in our Legislative Yuan. Our beautiful Taiwan is our fairy wonderland—” She paused graciously as the audience burst into loud applause. After a full minute, the guests finally stopped clapping, and Daiyu flashed that killer smile. The one that would stop anyone in their tracks and make them forget everything. “It means the world to me that you’re here to support this very important cause to ensure a better future for us and our magical Taiwan.” She bowed her head, and the audience erupted into applause again.

  It seemed she was finished speaking when an older man dashed up to the dais. He whispered to Daiyu, and with a puzzled expression, she handed her microphone to him. “Hello, everyone. Good evening,” he said in a resonant voice. “My name is Mr. Li, and I’m here to present a surprise donation to Ms. Jin this evening.”

  The audience murmured in anticipation, and I straightened from where I had been leaning against the wall. Mr. Li was grinning from ear to ear, and Daiyu waited with the rest of us, her expression unreadable.

  “One million yuan from Mr. Jin himself !” Mr. Li exclaimed. All four screens were replaced with an image of Jin standing with Daiyu by his side, and the guests erupted in surprised gasps. “Your father is so proud of you, Ms. Jin.”

  A young woman dressed in a black skirt and red tuxedo jacket threaded in gold stepped onto the stage carrying a huge check, smiling widely at the cheering crowd below.

  Daiyu’s expression hadn’t changed, but she appeared paler in the spotlight, and she gave Mr. Li a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you.”

  I glared at the image of Jin, always glowing with vigor and larger than life. He loved to put on a show and take center stage. This would make him look good, an atonement, given the convictions brought against him in trying to stop the passing of environmental laws. I waited for Daiyu to refuse the check, to politely but firmly reject her father’s donation. She’d worked so hard these past months fund-raising and getting huge sponsors to help pay for this gala. She’d even charmed her way into getting the ballroom space for free, compliments of the Shangri-La hotel; they knew it’d garner great publicity and a lot of booked rooms. I’d watched her, been by her side the entire time—she didn’t need this from Jin. It was tainted money.

  Daiyu seemed to be glancing down at her hands clasped in front of her, then lifted her chin and nodded once at Mr. Li, but remained silent.

  A moment later, glittering confetti erupted from overhead, showering down on the guests, as the orchestra began playing again. Everyone laughed, some lifting their hands to the ceiling as the shimmering paper drifted down on them, their mouths open in surprise and delight.

  But my own surprise was leaden, heavy in my chest. Why hadn’t she refuted her father? To accept his money only implied to the public that Jin was still in control over her life—hell, that he was possibly the one behind all Daiyu’s own hard work. It gave him good press when he didn’t care anything about the environment at all or about the meis.

  Disgusted by how Jin had inserted himself into Daiyu’s event, I slipped into the elevator and headed for the hotel room Daiyu had booked for us, unable to shake my disappointment that she had accepted his money.

  I got a message from Iris with our flight info as I made my way down the wide hotel corridor. The ticket was already booked. Don’t tell her, she reminded me. Annoyed, I didn’t bother to reply.

  CHAPTER SIX

  When Daiyu finally came to our hotel room, I had already showered and pulled on a bathrobe, leaving the musketeer outfit in a heap on the floor. It was past one a.m. I had wanted to confront her straightaway but softened when I saw how tired she was. She leaned against the wall, taking off her high heels, then the pins from her hair. She shook the locks out and massaged her scalp. “Thank gods it’s over,” she said, unclasping her diamond necklace. She casually dropped the jewelry, probably worth more than six figures, onto a side table.

  I went to her, and she turned around so I could unzip her dress. I massaged the back of her neck as she slipped out of her qipao. She pivoted again and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her head against my shoulder. “You smell nice,” she murmured against my chest. “I can’t believe my father did that.”

  I rubbed her back, feeling the tension slowly seep from her body, as she leaned into our embrace. “I can,” I said.

  Now that she was in my arms, tucked securely against me, I began to feel the leaden weight in my chest lighten, slowly begin to break loose. We’d hardly spent any time apart these last three months, ever since she moved in with me. I was certain there was a misunderstanding, and we could work our way through anything.

  “But why did you take the money?” I murmured against her ear.

  She stiffened, then pushed away from me. “What did you expect me to do?”

  “Say no?” I replied. “Thank you, but no.”

  “He’s my father, Jason.” Daiyu slipped out of her lace bra with a speed and ease that could have won her a medal. “And you don’t know him,” she said with exasperation.

  “I know that he made himself look good tonight. At your expense.”

  “I’ve had to choose my battles with him my entire life—live with his controlling ways,” she retorted. “This wasn’t worth fighting over. If I had rejected his donation publicly, he’d lose face, and it’d turn all his attention back on me—on us. That’s the last thing I want. Instead of making a donation, he could actively work against me. You know that.”

  “Has he been in contact with you, then?”

  “I don’t want to talk about this right now.” She stalked away, only pausing to bend over and pull off her underwear. I completely lost my train of thought, and she disappeared into the bathroom. Frustrated—and horny—I almost followed her inside, but stopped myself. Daiyu was right. As much as I hated Jin, I didn’t have to deal with him like Daiyu had to. She probably knew him better than anyone.

  Instead, I grabbed my Palm and opened up my robot apocalypse game, hoping to find Arun online. But he wasn’t, so I had to content myself with shooting robots on my own, trying to forget about our argument—and my hard-on.

  I heard the shower turn off. When Daiyu finally emerged, she also had a bathrobe wrapped around herself, and her face had been scrubbed of the makeup she had worn for the gala; her wet hair clung to her like she had just risen from the sea. She climbed into the king-size bed, burrowing beneath the plush duvet. “Come to bed, love.”

  I hid a smile as I joined her. It was a truce then. She only used that term when she was feeling especially tired or vulnerable. We settled against each other like a matched set, like celadon
teacups or ceramic spoons. “I’m sorry I said anything. My reactions are strong when it comes to your father.” She didn’t respond, but nestled closer to me. I stroked away the wet strands of dark hair that clung to her cheek. “I need to take a short trip tomorrow,” I said. Her breathing had already slowed, and I think she had been on the verge of sleep, when her eyes snapped open.

  “You do?” she said. “To where?”

  “Just a quick trip to Taichung.” I hesitated only one second before telling the lie. “Arun asked me to go with him.” I regretted it the moment I did it, but I convinced myself that it was a harmless untruth. I almost believed it.

  “Arun?” she murmured, and closed her eyes. “I’m glad. You haven’t seen him in a long time.” She let out a small sigh, draping a hand over my hip.

  “No,” I said. “I haven’t.”

  “I see him in media news a lot,” she said. “He’s been busy.”

  I nodded against her shoulder. Arun had become somewhat of a celebrity after his new antidote helped to curb the deadly avian flu epidemic, and he had become a multimillionaire in his own right. He’d used part of his earnings from the antidote to open a clinic in Taipei—patients paid what they could afford. Often, they couldn’t pay anything at all. We had met once after the bombing, but I hadn’t made an effort to see him in months.

  Daiyu was asleep a minute later, and I watched her, ignoring the demon perched again on my shoulder. I imagined he was dressed in an expensively tailored tuxedo with better styled hair than I could ever manage on my own. He rubbed his hands together, cackling. “One small lie never hurt anyone, Zhou. She’d only worry anyway.”

  I voice-commanded the dimmed lights to turn off and gazed out the windows at Taipei below. Our room had a clear view of the 101, my home for the past year. The building was lit in violet tonight, a familiar icon in Taipei’s shimmering neon skyline. Airlimos circled in the distance. For many yous, the night was only beginning. Feeling Daiyu’s familiar warmth against me and the soft curves of her body, I closed my eyes and tried to sleep.